Fruit container

ABSTRACT

A food container that includes upper and lower trays ( 12 ), each of sheet plastic and having a plurality of food-holding recesses ( 30 ) for holding pieces of fruit, with the two trays preferably being identical. The two trays have complementary latches ( 80, 90 ) to latch to each other when the container is closed, the individual trays being stackable in a tight stack for storage and transport, and the closed containers being stackable. The latches are in the form of projection latches ( 80 ), and in the form of socket latches ( 90 ) that receive projection latches. The arrangement of projection and socket latches (and of aligners  70, 72 ) forms mirror image arrangements on opposite sides of a mid plane ( 102 ), so the upper tray is identical to the lower one, and the upper tray can be latched to the lower one by turning the upper tray 180° about an axis ( 100 ) lying on the mid plane. The trays each form recesses ( 30 ) and barriers ( 46 ) between recesses, and the intersection of each group at least three barriers forms a platform ( 50 ) that supports one of the latches. Positioners ( 111 - 114 ) that allow container stacking, include socket positioners ( 113 - 114 ) that each includes a downward projection ( 140 ) that projects down from the bottom of a recess and that forms an upwardly opening passage ( 142 ) with a support wall ( 143 ) that can support a piece of fruit that lies in a recess.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food containers can be constructed with upper and lower container elements, or trays, that are each constructed of a sheet of plastic (preferably transparent) that has been formed as by vacuum forming. In many cases, the upper and lower trays are latched together at their peripheries. Some containers are large and hold heavy food spherical items such as pears, avocados and apples and other pieces of fruit. For such containers, it is desirable to align the upper and lower trays at many spots spaced from their peripheries as well as to latch them together at their peripheries. When such containers containing fruit pieces are stacked, it is desirable that they rest on one another at locations in addition to their peripheries. Also, positioners that keep the vertical stack of fruit-filled containers aligned, should be formed to provide wide support for the bottom of a piece of fruit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a container is provided of the type where the upper and lower trays are produced by formed sheet plastic, that is suitable for holding heavy food, and especially pieces of largely spherical fruit. The trays have aligners, some of which are also latches in the form of socket aligners and projection aligners that enable the upper and lower trays to latch together. The upper and lower trays can be made identical by an arrangement of projection and socket aligners that form patterns that are mirror images of each other on opposite sides of a mid plane of each tray. In that way, when one tray is turned 180° about a horizontal axis lying in the mid plane, the tray is converted from a lower tray to an upper tray, and its projection and socket aligners mate with those of the lower tray.

In a container for holding pieces of heavy and largely spherical fruit such as apples, pears, and avocados, the trays each forms part-spherical recesses that each holds one piece of fruit. When a plurality of such containers are stacked on one another, it is desirable to provide positioners that prevent any container from moving out of alignment with the other containers in the stack, and to provide good support of each container on the one below. Applicant provides locators on the bottom of each lower tray and on the top of each upper tray. Each locator in a lower tray is formed by downwardly deforming a location at the bottom of a recess to form a projection or socket locator. Each socket locator includes a downwardly extending large diameter part whose middle forms an upwardly projecting passage with a top wall that can support a piece of fruit. The middle of the bottom of the bottom tray and the middle of the top of the top tray, form flat spots that better support stacked containers on one another and that provide an area for holding a label.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a lower tray of a container of the invention, wherein the top and bottom trays are identical.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lower tray of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the lower tray of FIG. 1 and a plan view of an upper tray that closes against the tray of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded side view of the lower tray of FIGS. 1-3 and of an identical upper tray, each taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2, as they approach each other to mate, with the thickness of the plastic sheet not being indicated.

FIG. 5 is an exploded side elevation view showing the lower and upper trays fully latched together to form a closed container, and also showing separate upper and lower trays.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2, and indicating a thickness for the plastic sheet.

FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a top isometric view of a lower tray of a container of a second embodiment of the invention, wherein upper and lower trays are not identical.

FIG. 8 is an exploded side elevation view of a container showing the lower tray of FIG. 7 and a complementary upper tray as they approach each other to mate, with the thickness of the plastic sheet not indicated.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a container of another embodiment of the invention wherein the upper and lower trays are of the same construction as those of FIG. 8, but the trays are pivotally connected.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates the lower container element, or container half, or tray 12 of a rectangular (as seen in a plan view) food container 10. In this embodiment of the invention, the upper tray and lower tray are identical. FIG. 5 shows a complete container 10 when the identical lower and upper trays 12, 14 are fully joined to form the food container, and also shows each individual tray separated from the other one. The lower tray has a closed bottom 15, with at least 90% of its area closed, and the upper tray has a corresponding closed top 16. The bottom tray has a plurality of upwardly-opening recesses. Referring again to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the lower tray is of rectangular shape (as seen in a plan view), with laterally L opposite sides 20, 22 and longitudinally M opposite ends 24,26. Upper and lower directions are indicated by arrows U and D. Inner and outer directions are indicated by arrows O and I, with O and I being the same as U and D for the lower tray 12.

The tray 12 of FIG. 1 has a plurality of food-holding recesses 30 that are each in the form of smoothly curved recesses with concave upper surfaces, and with the recesses each preferably part of a hemispherical recess. Each recess is designed to hold a piece of largely spherical fruit such as a pear, avocado, or apple, and each recess has walls that lie on at least one-half of a hemisphere and less than a complete hemisphere. There are ten recesses 31-40 arranged with four at each side and three at each end of the rectangular shape. The middle 42 of the tray forms a flat spot 44 that does not hold a piece of fruit. The tray also forms a plurality of barriers or dividers 46 between pairs of adjacent recesses. As shown in FIG. 6, each divider 46 is saddle-shaped. The middle of each divider which connects two adjacent recesses subtends an angle E of about 80° of a circle which has a radius A and whose center C is below the trays. Each recess as seen in FIG. 6 subtends an angle F of about 80° to 90° of a circle of radius B that is about 150% as long as A and whose center D lies at the top of the tray. There is a smooth transition between the upward-convex dividers and the upwardly-concave fruit-holding recesses shown in FIG. 6, which is similar to a sinusoidal curve. The use of largely circular sinusoidal dividers allows the tray to be more easily formed by deformation of a sheet of plastic, and allows the fruit pieces 144, 146 that fit into the recesses, to be closely spaced.

As shown in FIG. 1, applicant provides dividers 46 between the flat spot 44 and each fruit-holding recess 30, because such dividers are easy to vacuum form in a plastic sheet and because they strengthen the tray. The ends of each of a plurality of adjacent dividers forms a platform 50 that has a top forming a platform support surface 62 lying on a mating plane 64 and forming a tray aligner 70 or 72. FIG. 1 shows six platforms 50. There are two types of tray aligners, including three projection aligners 70 and three socket aligners 72. When the lower tray 12 mates with an identical upper tray 14 (FIG. 4) each projection aligner 70 enters a socket aligner 72. Also, the platform support surface 62 of each platform that supports, or has an aligner engages the platform support surface of a mating platform that has an aligner. In addition, there are two types of tray latches near the edge of each tray. As shown in FIG. 1 these include five projection latches 80 and five socket latches 90. The latches are shaped so when each projection latch enters a socket latch, the latches hold together to thereby hold together the container consisting of the two trays. The latches snap together and snap apart, which allows a person to realize that the tray has been fully closed. The tray also has spacers 94 at the four corners, that leave a narrow gap of about a centimeter between trays, that allows air circulation but that does not invite a person's finger to be inserted therethrough.

The tray shown in FIG. 1 has a horizontal longitudinal axis 100 and forms a mirror image on opposite sides of a longitudinal plane 102 that extends vertically and between longitudinally opposite ends 24, 26 of the tray. That is, there is a projection latch 81 at one end 24 of the tray and there is a corresponding socket latch 91 that lies at the same end 24 of the tray, with the two latches 81 and 91 equally spaced from the axis 100. The same correspondence occurs for all six projection aligners and corresponding socket aligners. Applicant notes that the latches also serve as aligners. The mirror image symmetry allows two identical trays to be brought together and latched together (mated) by orienting the two trays identically and with their fruit-holding recesses facing upward, then lifting a first tray and turning it 180° about its longitudinal axis 100, and then placing the lifted and turned-over first tray over the second tray and pressing down the second tray against the first tray. It also is possible to construct the two identical trays so a tray must be turned 180° about a lateral axis for the two identical trays to mate, although the tray of FIG. 1 has mirror-symmetry only about the longitudinal axis 100 and longitudinal plane 102.

FIG. 1 shows that each tray 12 has four container positioners 111-114 at the bottom of the recesses 30 that lie at the four corners of the tray. The bottom and top of each fully assembled container 10 has a pair of projection positioners 111-112 at opposite corners and has a pair of socket positioners 113-114 at the other two opposite corners. FIG. 5 shows that each projection positioner such as 111 fits into a corresponding socket positioner 113. The mirror image symmetry of the two identical trays that form one container, results in the interfitting of the positioners. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 6A, each socket positioner such as 113 in a lower tray, is formed by a downward projection 140 that extends down from the bottom of the fruit-holding recess 30, and with an upward passage 142 in its middle for receiving a projection positioner. The upper end 141 of the passage 142 preferably forms a largely horizontal top wall 143 that lies no higher than a smoothly-curved extension of adjacent portions of the recess, so the top wall 143 does not lie above a circle 144 that represents a largest piece of primarily spherical fruit. The portion of the circle above the bottom of the downward projection 140 lies on an imaginary extension of adjacent portions of the recess 30. Such location of the top wall 143 assures that the bottom of the piece of fruit does not rest on a narrow projection which could create a damaging spot on the fruit, and the top wall 143 also provides support despite a wide hole at the projection 140. It is possible to form a hole in wall 143 for better air circulation but this is usually not necessary. It can be seen from FIG. 6 that two pieces of fruit 144,146 of the maximum size, can lie very close together and that the dividers 46 are not vertical walls that would weaken the tray but instead are of part circular or sinusoidal shape and strengthen the tray against bending. FIG. 6A shows that pieces of fruit 147,148 of smaller diameters than the largest size 144, also can rest on the top wall 143 of the upwardly-concave walls of the blind hole 142 as well as on locations 145 on either side of the socket positioner 113.

The trays can be stacked in a compact stack for shipment to stores and for storage. When the trays (not yet assembled into a container) are stacked with their fruit-holding recesses facing upward, each projection aligner such as 112 fits into the blind hole of a socket aligner of the tray below or above it. Also each socket aligner receives the projection formed by the socket aligner of the tray below or above it. The projection and socket latches are similarly stacked in one another.

When a group of closed containers that hold fruit are stacked on one another, the positioners align the four sides of the container, and the flat spots 44 at the middle of the trays lie against one another. The flat spots lie on the stacking planes where each container lies against another container. The flat spots not only provide large area contact, but provide a large area where a label can be pasted on one of the trays of a container.

Applicant has designed and tested containers of the type shown in FIG. 1, each using two identical trays 12. The tray had a longitudinal length of 15 inches, a lateral width of 11 inches, and was formed of 0.030 inch thick transparent plastic. The trays reliably latched together and stacked on one anotherwhile containing fruit pieces.

While applicant prefers to use two identical trays of the type shown in FIGS. 1-6 to form each container, it is also possible to use two trays of different constructions. FIG. 7 shows a bottom tray 160 of a construction similar to that of FIG. 1, except that the tray 160 has six aligners 162 that are all of the socket type and has ten latches 164 that are all of the socket type. Also, the tray 160 has four container positioners 166 at the bottom of the corner-adjacent fruit-holding recesses, that all form socket positioners for receiving projection positioners of the mating tray. Each tray is symmetrical about longitudinal and lateral axes, so two of the different trays 160, 170 which are shown in FIG. 8, can be pressed and latched together regardless of their orientations about a vertical axis. However, the use of two different types of trays has the disadvantages that it can be more difficult to have to provide two stacks of different trays and to assure that there are the same number of each type of tray, and two types of dies must be used in manufacture ( deforming and cutting a plastic sheet).

FIG. 9 shows a container 180 formed by the two trays 160, 170 of the type shown in FIG. 8, but joined along a common side by a “living hinge 182”. The living hinge is formed by plastic hinges that are integral with the rest of the trays. The container 180 is formed of a single sheet of plastic that has been deformed.

The trays are designed to be manufactured at a specialized facility and shipped to supermarket stores or to specialized packagers of fruit. Clerks at the stores or at the packagers, take one tray (or one container of the type of FIG. 9), load pieces of fruit in the recesses, take another tray, and press the upper tray down against the lower one to latch the trays tegether so the fruit pieces are contained in a closed container (with venting). It is possible to hold food other than pieces of primarily spherical fruit in the recesses, although the trays were designed primarily to hold pieces of such fruit.

Thus, the invention provides a food container, and especially one with recesses for holding pieces of primarily spherical fruit such as pears, avocados and apples, without forming pressure spots on the fruit, and which is formed by deformed sheets of plastic. The trays are constructed to enable secure latching together of two trays of the container, and to assure that a stack of containers that hold food will maintain the alignment of the stack and provide good support by each container, of the containers on top of it. The upper and lower trays of each container can be made identical by constructing each tray so it has mirror symmetry about a longitudinal axis (or about a lateral axis). Each tray forms aligners at the tops of platforms, with some aligners being latches, to hold two trays together as a container. Each container has positioners that assure that a stack of trays maintain their vertical alignment, with each positioner formed at the bottom of a fruit-holding recess without forming a recess wall that will concentrate pressure on a piece of fruit. The aligners and positioners can be of any of a variety of shapes. The two trays of a container can be different, and can be pivotally connected by a living hinge.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents. 

1. A food container that includes upper and lower trays that each comprises a formed sheet of plastic, the trays being releasably latchable to each other and each tray lying primarily on one side of a horizontal mating plane, and the top and bottom trays being identical, wherein: each of said trays has laterally opposite sides that are spaced in lateral directions and that lie on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis, and has longitudinally opposite ends spaced in longitudinal directions, and each tray has a plurality of latches on laterally opposite sides of a longitudinal plane of symmetry that is normal to said lateral directions, said plurality of latches including a plurality of projection latches on each side of said longitudinal plane that each extends outward beyond said mating plane of the container element, and a plurality of socket latches on each side of said longitudinal plane that are each constructed to receive one of said projection latches inserted inwardly therein and latch to the projection latch; said projection latches on each side of said longitudinal plane and said socket latches on each side of said longitudinal plane are arranged in mirror image patterns on laterally opposite sides of said longitudinal plane, so when said lower and upper trays lie in identical positions as seen in a plan view, and the upper tray is then raised and turned 1800 about the longitudinal axis, the upper tray can be pushed down so each of said projection latches enters one of said socket latches to latch the trays together.
 2. The container described in claim 1 wherein: each of said trays forms a plurality of upwardly-concave smoothly curved recesses, and the bottom of each of a plurality of said recesses in the lower tray forms a positioner; said positioners include projection positioners that project downward and socket positioners, each socket positioner having a downward projection with an upwardly-extending blind hole therein, the blind hole forming a top wall (143) that lies no higher than an imaginary smoothly-curved extension of adjacent portions of the smoothly-curved recesses.
 3. The container described in claim 2 wherein: each of said top walls (143) lies at the height of said imaginary smoothly- curved extension of adjacent portions of the recess.
 4. The container described in claim 1 wherein: said lower tray forms a plurality of smoothly curved food-holding recesses having concave upper surfaces, and said lower tray forms a plurality of smoothly- curved dividers that each lies between pairs of adjacent recesses; groups of a plurality of said dividers of said lower tray each forms an upwardly extending platform that forms a flat top platform surface (62), and the top platform surfaces of said upper and lower trays rest on one another.
 5. The container described in claim 1 wherein: said upper tray has a plurality of downwardly-concave smoothly curved recesses and has a region without such a recess, said region forming a flat spot lying at the same level as the top of said recesses, and said flat spots of a plurality of stacked containers lie on one another.
 6. A food container that includes upper and lower trays that each comprises a formed sheet of plastic, the trays being releasably latchable to each other, wherein: said trays each forms a plurality of aligners lying at the top of the lower tray and at the bottom of the upper tray, said aligners including projection aligners and including socket aligners that receive the projection aligners; said lower tray forms a plurality of upwardly concave food-holding recesses and forms a divider between pairs of adjacent ones of said recesses, with the dividers of each of a plurality of groups that each includes a plurality of said dividers, intersecting and forming an upwardly extending platform with an upper portion that forms a platform support surface and that forms one of said aligners; said upper tray forming a plurality of recesses, forming dividers between adjacent recesses, and forming a plurality of downwardly extending platforms with lower ends forming platform support surfaces and aligners; said platform support surfaces and said aligners being arranged so when said trays mate the platform support surfaces of said upper and lower trays abut and the projection aligners are received in the socket aligners.
 7. The food container described in claim 6 wherein: said upper tray is identical to said lower tray; each of said trays has a lateral axis and a longitudinal axis; said projection aligners and socket aligners are arranged so the arrangement of aligners is symmetrical about at least one of said axes, so if the lower tray is positioned with its recesses upwardly concave and the upper tray is positioned identically to the lower tray as seen in a plan view, and the upper tray is then turned 180° about one of said axes and placed over said lower tray and pushed down, each projection aligner will fit into a socket aligner.
 8. A food container that includes upper and lower trays that each comprises at least part of a formed sheet of plastic, the trays being releasably latchable to each other, wherein: said lower tray has an upwardly-open recess and has a closed bottom surface and said upper tray has a downwardly-open recess and has a closed top surface; said closed surfaces of said trays each form positioners for positioning a stack of closed containers on one another; some of said positioners form projection positioners that each projects beyond a corresponding closed surface, and some of said positioners form socket positioners that is each shaped to receive one of said projection positioners; each socket positioner in said lower tray includes a passage-forming projection that projects downward below a corresponding closed surface and each socket positioner forms a passage of smaller width than the passage-forming projection and that projects upward into its passage forming projection.
 9. The food container described in claim 8 wherein: said trays each has a flat spot at a middle of its closed surface, each flat spot lying at the same level as the rest of the closed surface, and said positioners are positioned so flat spots of stacked containers lie on one another.
 10. The food container described in claim 8 wherein: said recesses are each part of a sphere and said passages each forms a top wall (143) lying at a height to lie on said sphere. 